ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 356039
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| Date: | Tuesday 8 April 1997 |
| Time: | 08:44 LT |
| Type: |  Aerospatiale AS 350B |
| Owner/operator: | S. Florida Water Mgmt. Distric |
| Registration: | N370WM |
| MSN: | 2508 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1991 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 3216 hours |
| Engine model: | Turbomeca ARRIEL 1B |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 5 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | West Palm Beach, FL -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Initial climb |
| Nature: | Unknown |
| Departure airport: | (KPBI) |
| Stuart, FL | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
The day before the accident, spot painting was performed to the upper corners of the windshield, and the mechanic failed to remove the roll of masking material from the canopy. During the preflight without using a checklist, the pilot did not notice the roll of masking material. Weight and balance calculations were not performed by the pilot, and postaccident calculations revealed that the helicopter was 76 pounds over gross weight at takeoff. During the initial climb, a portion of the roll of masking material fell from the helicopter, and about 13 feet wrapped around the main rotor mast. Additionally, about 5 feet was partially sucked over and into the engine inlet. The engine experienced a partial loss of power while climbing about 150 feet agl, with a resulting decrease in main rotor rpm. The low rotor warning was heard by the passengers followed by a hard landing. Postcrash the engine was placed in a test cell and found to operate normally. The checklist does not specifically mention to check the oil cooler inlet area or forward of that area during preflight.
Probable Cause: Failure of the pilot-in-command to recognize that the main rotor rpm was decreasing and his failure to maintain the main rotor rpm during the autorotative landing resulting in a hard landing. Contributing to the accident was the partial loss of engine power due to partial blockage of the engine air inlet screen. Also contributing was inadequate inspection of the airplane following maintenance by other maintenance personnel for their failure to remove a paint masking roll from the canopy. Additionally, inadequate preflight of the helicopter by the pilot for his failure to observe the roll of paint masking material and weight and balance exceeded.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB MIA97GA119
History of this aircraft
Other occurrences involving this aircraft
| 22 February 2002 | C-FPOO | Heli-Inter | 0 | Val-d'Or Airport, 2.5 nm South of Val-d'Or, Quebec |  |
sub |
| Heavy landing | ||||||
Location
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 12-Mar-2024 18:25 | ASN Update Bot | Added |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
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